Something More
by TheSadTruthIs-TheTruthIsSad
Summary: Neville's sorting. 'Neville is dimly aware of the sound of quiet, stifled laughter, and he looks up in confusion, trying to figure out what everyone is giggling about.' One-shot. Reviewers will receive eternal gratitude.


Neville's very first impression is that the Slytherins all look awfully intimidating. He comes to this conclusion after he makes eye contact with one of the older boys whose robes are lined with green. The boy glares menacingly and Neville quickly looks away, eyes searching for a different target – _any_ different target.

The stern looking witch is calling their names out in alphabetical order, Neville notes, and she's only on the B's. A confident looking girl with the surname Brown eagerly hops onto the stool, jamming the hat on her head as she sits. It doesn't take long for her to be sorted into Gryffindor, and Neville's eyes follow her as she walks over the the indicated table and finds a seat. Some of the people at the Slytherin table are booing and making rude noises. A big, mean looking girl sits on the stool now, arms crossed, and she's sorted into Slytherin very quickly. The Gryffindors jeer this time, and the girl glares angrily at them as she goes to sit down with her new House.

Come to think of it, _both_ of those Houses – Gryffindor _and_ Slytherin – make Neville feel a bit uneasy. They're both so loud, incredibly outspoken about their dislike for one another. Neville has never been particularly loud or outspoken. He also knows the reputations for both of the Houses. He feels neither brave nor cunning at the moment and knows without a doubt that he doesn't have to worry about the hat putting him into either of those Houses.

His eyes fall on the Ravenclaw table now, but he looks away quickly, feeling rather gloomy. Gran has told him all about Ravenclaw, of course, but she's never entertained the notion of him being Sorted into that House. Gran's always said that Neville "doesn't have the brains or courage for _any_ House but Hufflepuff." Neville always feels inexplicably guilty – _ashamed_, even – whenever she says this, and even more so when she sighs and says, "Well. . . it's better than Slytherin, I suppose."

Neville's eyes seek out the last table and he smiles faintly. They all look politely interested in the Sorting, and when Neville makes eye contact with a pretty, sweet-looking first-year that has already been sorted, she smiles encouragingly at him rather than glaring. He can't help but smile back, though he does look down at his shoes quickly. Maybe Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad.

Neville is dimly aware of the sound of quiet, stifled laughter, and he looks up in confusion, trying to figure out what everyone is giggling about.

"_Neville Longbottom_," the stern professor says emphatically. Neville jumps, startled, and he can tell by the tone of her voice that she must have already said his name when he wasn't paying attention; it's the same tone Gran takes when she's impatient with him. The crowd titters faintly again and Neville can feel his face heating up. He quickly scrambles onto the stool, placing the hat on his head. A few people snigger when it falls over his eyes, but he's quite glad he can't see their faces. He wonders if the Hufflepuff girl was one of the people who had laughed at him.

"Hmm. . . ." says a voice in his ear and he jumps, surprised again. "Another difficult one, eh? Quite an interesting mind you have here."

Neville remains quiet, quite content to just let the hat work everything out for itself. He mentally prepares himself for what he knows is coming. He knows the letter to Gran is inevitable – the one telling her that he's been sorted into Hufflepuff, just like she knew he would be.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," says the voice, and Neville remembers a little belatedly that the hat can read his mind and thoughts. "Let's see, then. Not quite enough of the. . . _unique_ personality that Slytherin requires," the hat muses, and Neville feels a bit relieved. He can't imagine going over to that table to sit with the glaring boy.

"You wouldn't do _too_ badly in Ravenclaw," the hat says thoughtfully. Neville hangs his head a little, feeling rather ashamed again. _I'm not smart enough for Ravenclaw_, he thinks gloomily.

"Maybe you'd be better fitted for a different House," the hat suggests gently. "Gryffindor, perhaps?"

Neville almost falls off of the wooden stool in surprise, catching himself just in time. _I'm not a Gryffindor_, he thinks, shaking his head quickly. _Gryffindors are_ _**brave**_.

"You're better suited for Gryffindor than you seem to think," the hat insists.

_But_, Neville thinks, confusion clouding his mind, _I'm supposed to be a Hufflepuff!_

"I wouldn't be so sure," the hat says again, rather mysteriously. "You're destined for something different – something _more_ than what Hufflepuff can offer." Neville feels a little panicked, knowing what's coming before it does – and the hat bellows the name of a House that definitely _isn't _Hufflepuff. He gets off the stool to the sound of students clapping, feeling like something has gone dreadfully wrong – _maybe the hat is broken?_ – and nervously walks towards the Gryffindor table, looking longingly at the empty seat next to the smiling Hufflepuff girl.

"I think you're forgetting something," the hat reminds him quietly, and, to the sound of more laughter, Neville runs back up to the stool to return the hat. Walking back, his eyes find the Hufflepuff girl again. Her eyes meet his and she grins, giving a tiny wave. Neville turns his burning face away, feeling rather stupid for no particular reason.

_Definitely should have been in Hufflepuff,_ he thinks, reaching the Gryffindor table and finding a seat, hoping very much that the hat hadn't made some horrible mistake, but feeling quite certain that it had.

* * *

**A/N:** I see the Hufflepuff girl as Hannah Abbott, seeing how Neville eventually marries her. But, really, she could be anyone you want her to be.  
I'm currently suffering from writer's block, but I got the idea for this and just couldn't resist. Neville is really a wonderful character to write about. Anyhow, reviews are _very_ much appreciated, as is constructive criticism. Tell me what you thought about this if you have the time.


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